Junqueras demands 'maximum coordination' from ERC lawmakers amid internal rift with Rufián

Internal frictions exposed

The mood inside ERC's parliamentary group in Congress has soured in recent weeks. Deputy Jordi Salvador publicly criticized Gabriel Rufián after the spokesman set "conditions" for leading the party's list in the next general election, saying his patience had "a limit." Rufián, meanwhile, has advocated for a broad left-wing alliance that the party leadership rejects.

Junqueras intervenes

Meeting the deputies and senators in Madrid on Wednesday, Junqueras pressed for "maximum exigency, determination, and coordination" to see through the remaining months of the legislature. He was accompanied by party spokesman Isaac Albert and organization secretary Pau Morales.

“The decisions that must be taken in the coming months will be decisive in guaranteeing more resources, more decision-making capacity, and more well-being for all of Catalonia.”

The ERC statement added that the legislature faces its final months and only makes sense if lawmakers can give it content. Junqueras, who retook control of the party in December 2024, has been cultivating his political profile in Madrid by acting as a key investiture partner to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Legislative priorities: debt relief and new financing

ERC demanded progress on two flagship commitments extracted during the investiture negotiations: the write-off of €17,000 million in FLA debt owed by the Generalitat and the launch of a new autonomous financing model. Both measures need the support of the investiture majority in Congress, making ERC's legislative backing critical.

“We agree that the legislature faces its final months and that it only makes sense if we are able to give it content.”

Junqueras has scheduled additional contacts with the government in Madrid during June and July in an effort to unblock both files.

Rufián pushes back, Junts demands elections

While the meeting was under way, Rufián complained from the floor that the Catalan press was more interested in ERC's internal "gossip" than in Junts' cooperation with PP and Vox. Separately, Junts MP Josep Maria Cruset declared the government "weak and increasingly besieged by corruption" and called for an early election.

“I ask the Catalan press not to concern itself so much with ERC's gossip, not to be at the door of our offices to see what happens in a meeting, and to talk more about what you agree with PP and Vox in this chamber against the people of Catalonia.”

Next steps

The meeting also served to consolidate coordination between the national leadership and the parliamentary group ahead of the pre-electoral cycle that begins with municipal elections in May 2027. Despite the tension, the party still regards Rufián as a "great electoral asset" and maintains its support for him as a candidate, although he has stated he will only run again under certain conditions involving greater control over the candidate list and parliamentary strategy.